COLUMBUS, OH (WLIO) - Ohio's redistricting commission failed to start work on new House and Senate districts because they couldn't pick a co-chair for the commission.
Governor Mike DeWine reconvened the commission this morning and the first step was to set up rules and pick the co-chairs for the meeting. But Republican Senate President Matt Huffman and Ohio Speaker Jason Stephens could not agree on who should co-chair the committee. DeWine adjourned the meeting until Friday.
"Ultimately this is a negotiation as these things are intended to be, I am optimistic that we will get something done by the deadline the secretary suggested," says Matt Huffman, Ohio Senate President.
"It's a stumbling block and it has to be resolved," says Nickie Antonio, Ohio Senate Minority Leader. "What we did today is swear everyone in, because we don't have co-chairs, we couldn't go forward to do anything else."
The commission has about three months to get House and Senate districts drawn before lawmakers have to file to run in 2024. The ones used in the 2022 election were ruled by the Ohio Supreme Court as unconstitutional and need to be redrawn.
